


The Problem With People

by quiet__tiger



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Contemplative, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 06:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10848474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet__tiger/pseuds/quiet__tiger
Summary: Bruce ruminates on recent happenings.





	The Problem With People

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Caveat Emptor."
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal 20th-Jan-2011.

Sometimes, the pessimistic part of Bruce wondered if any of his actions as the Batman meant any damn thing at all. He’d dedicated his life to the cape and cowl, to protect the citizens in his sadly dark city.

And in return?

In return people still died.

People still died because they paid no attention to the news.

The news wasn’t important, apparently. News like the Joker’s escape. News like mysterious, strange, and suspicious robberies. News like products in the supermarkets having horrifying effects.

Really.

Bruce worked _so hard_ to keep people safe, and he was repaid by them buying a new toothpaste called “White Smile.”

The box was green and white with red lettering. Which wasn’t terribly suspicious in itself, of course. It was toothpaste.

But the picture on the box… A garish smile framed by deranged lips…

Rows upon rows of boxes that appeared out of nowhere in the stores, rows and rows of vaguely disquieting smiles.

And people bought them.

Citizens of Gotham bought toothpaste no one had ever heard of, while the Joker was out of Arkham, and with a subtle yet distressing image on the box.

He didn’t want it to, but Bruce’s mind kept flashing one word:

 _Stupid_.

It wasn’t even the first time Joker had poisoned the populace, hundreds and thousands dying with their faces distorted into grotesque grins. The man was absolutely insane, but he was also highly intelligent. He could keep doing the same awful things to Gotham, and the people always fell for it. All to save a buck or two.

To save a buck or two, they paid with their lives.

It was one thing when people died because of something unforeseen, or through no fault except Batman or the police arriving too late. Very little was worse than that.

But falling for the Joker’s schemes over and over…

It was frustrating. But Bruce also couldn’t expect the citizens to live in fear all the time, to only buy something indicated as being “Joker free.” It was _his_ job to make sure something like that wasn’t necessary.

And that was most frustrating of all.

For all it was easy to blame the people of Gotham for buying a product that seemed like a bad idea in hindsight, it was Bruce’s—Batman’s—fault that the product was there in the first place. That he hadn’t seen it before people had died.

If he did his job better, there would be fewer deaths.

The thought pushed him further, made him work harder.

It was his _his_ city, and he had to protect it.

Even if his pessimism flared up every once in a while, warranted or not.


End file.
